1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to touch screen devices and particularly to a method of cleaning touch screen devices.
2. Related Art
In touch screen devices, touching the touch screen display activates features and/or inputs data. The touch screen display contains a visual display of buttons or other target areas that indicate to the user where to touch the touch screen display to activate certain features of the touch screen device or to input certain information.
Repetitive touching of the touch screen display results in a build up of oil and dirt on the surface of the touch screen display. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically clean the touch screen display. However, the touch screen display must be touched to clean it, therefore, the act of cleaning the touch screen display results in activation of the touch screen device. Correspondingly, inadvertent activation of features of the touch screen device or unwanted input of data results from cleaning the touch screen display.
In the past, touch screen displays have been cleaned by removing power from the touch screen display. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,422 (hereafter "'422 patent") describes a system and method for cleaning the touch screen display of a touch screen device contained on a telephone handset. In the '422 patent, the touch screen device enters a "clean screen" mode wherein the touch screen display is deactivated, however, information is kept on the touch screen display to provide status information to the users. This is not desirable because it is difficult to see where on the touch screen display there is oil and dirt, making it more difficult to clean the touch screen display. Furthermore, the touch screen device only exits from the "clean screen" mode when either the touch screen display has not been touched for a predetermined amount of time or when the telephone handset has transitioned from on-hook to off-hook. This is not desirable because the user may want to reactivate the touch screen display without the necessity of waiting a predetermined amount of time or waiting for the telephone handset to transition from on-hook to off-hook.